diff --git a/defaultMethods.js b/defaultMethods.js
index 0318587..faaf130 100644
--- a/defaultMethods.js
+++ b/defaultMethods.js
@@ -203,6 +203,35 @@ const defaultMethods = {
       }
     }
   },
+  // Adding this to spec something out, not to merge it.
+  val: {
+    method: (args, context, above) => {
+      let result = context
+      let start = 0
+      if (Array.isArray(args[0]) && args[0].length === 1) {
+        start++
+        const climb = +Math.abs(args[0][0])
+        let pos = 0
+        for (let i = 0; i < climb; i++) {
+          result = above[pos++]
+          if (i === above.length - 1 && Array.isArray(result)) {
+            above = result
+            result = result[0]
+            pos = 1
+          }
+        }
+      }
+
+      for (let i = start; i < args.length; i++) {
+        if (args[i] === null) continue
+        if (result === null || result === undefined) return null
+        result = result[args[i]]
+      }
+      if (typeof result === 'undefined') return null
+      return result
+    },
+    deterministic: false
+  },
   var: (key, context, above, engine) => {
     let b
     if (Array.isArray(key)) {
@@ -539,7 +568,7 @@ function createArrayIterativeMethod (name, useTruthy = false) {
       }
 
       const method = build(mapper, mapState)
-      const aboveArray = method.aboveDetected ? buildState.compile`[{ item: null }, context, above]` : buildState.compile`null`
+      const aboveArray = method.aboveDetected ? buildState.compile`[{ item: null, index: x }, context, above]` : buildState.compile`null`
 
       if (async) {
         if (!isSyncDeep(mapper, buildState.engine, buildState)) {
diff --git a/general.test.js b/general.test.js
index 7ecbb93..e8fa44f 100644
--- a/general.test.js
+++ b/general.test.js
@@ -123,11 +123,11 @@ describe('Various Test Cases', () => {
   })
 
   it('is able to handle simple path escaping', async () => {
-    for (const engine of [...normalEngines, ...permissiveEngines]) await testEngine(engine, { get: [{ var: 'selected' }, 'b\\.c'] }, { selected: { 'b.c': 2 } }, 2)
+    for (const engine of [...normalEngines, ...permissiveEngines]) await testEngine(engine, { get: [{ var: 'selected' }, 'b~2c'] }, { selected: { 'b.c': 2 } }, 2)
   })
 
   it('is able to handle simple path escaping in a variable', async () => {
-    for (const engine of [...normalEngines, ...permissiveEngines]) await testEngine(engine, { get: [{ var: 'selected' }, { var: 'key' }] }, { selected: { 'b.c': 2 }, key: 'b\\.c' }, 2)
+    for (const engine of [...normalEngines, ...permissiveEngines]) await testEngine(engine, { get: [{ var: 'selected' }, { var: 'key' }] }, { selected: { 'b.c': 2 }, key: 'b~2c' }, 2)
   })
 
   it('is able to avoid returning functions', async () => {
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ describe('Various Test Cases', () => {
   })
 
   it('is able to handle path escaping in a var call', async () => {
-    for (const engine of [...normalEngines, ...permissiveEngines]) await testEngine(engine, { var: 'hello\\.world' }, { 'hello.world': 2 }, 2)
+    for (const engine of [...normalEngines, ...permissiveEngines]) await testEngine(engine, { var: 'hello~2world' }, { 'hello.world': 2 }, 2)
   })
 
   it('is able to access empty keys', async () => {
@@ -162,16 +162,15 @@ describe('Various Test Cases', () => {
   })
 
   it('is able to access dot keys', async () => {
-    for (const engine of [...normalEngines, ...permissiveEngines]) await testEngine(engine, { var: '\\.' }, { '.': 2 }, 2)
+    for (const engine of [...normalEngines, ...permissiveEngines]) await testEngine(engine, { var: '~2' }, { '.': 2 }, 2)
   })
 
   it('is able to access "/" keys from above', async () => {
-    for (const engine of [...normalEngines, ...permissiveEngines]) await testEngine(engine, { map: [[1], { '+': [{ var: '' }, { var: '../../..\\/' }] }] }, { '': { '': { '/': 3 } } }, [4])
+    for (const engine of [...normalEngines, ...permissiveEngines]) await testEngine(engine, { map: [[1], { '+': [{ var: '' }, { var: '../..////~1' }] }] }, { '': { '': { '/': 3 } } }, [4])
   })
 
   it('is able to handle path escaping with multiple escapes', async () => {
     for (const engine of [...normalEngines, ...permissiveEngines]) await testEngine(engine, { var: '\\foo' }, { '\\foo': 2 }, 2)
-    for (const engine of [...normalEngines, ...permissiveEngines]) await testEngine(engine, { var: '\\\\foo' }, { '\\foo': 2 }, 2)
   })
 
   it('is able to access the index in the iterators', async () => {
diff --git a/suites/scopes.json b/suites/scopes.json
index 1a56d89..5fb0cb8 100644
--- a/suites/scopes.json
+++ b/suites/scopes.json
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
         "rule": { 
             "map": [
                 { "var": "arr" }, 
-                { "+": [{ "var": "../../\\.\\./" }, { "var": "../../..\\/" }]}
+                { "+": [{ "var": "../../~2~2~1" }, { "var": "../..////~1" }]}
             ] 
         },
         "data": { "arr": [1,2,3], "../": 10, "": { "": { "/": 7 }} },
diff --git a/suites/val.json b/suites/val.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73de36e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/suites/val.json
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+[
+    "Test Specification for val",
+    {
+        "description": "Fetches a value from an empty key",
+        "rule": { "val": "" },
+        "data": { "" : 1 },
+        "result": 1
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Fetches a value from a nested empty key",
+        "rule": { "val": ["", ""] },
+        "data": { "" : { "": 2 } },
+        "result": 2
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Fetches a value from a doubly nested empty key",
+        "rule": { "val": ["", "", ""] },
+        "data": { "" : { "": { "": 3 } } },
+        "result": 3
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Fetches a value from a key that is purely a dot",
+        "rule": { "val": "." },
+        "data": { "." : 20 },
+        "result": 20
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Fetches the entire context",
+        "rule": { "val": null },
+        "data": { "": 21 },
+        "result": { "": 21 }
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Fetches the entire context for a nested key",
+        "rule": { "val": "" },
+        "data": { "": { "": 22 } },
+        "result": { "": 22 }
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Using val in a map (remember that null gets the current context, not empty string)",
+        "rule": { "map": [[1,2,3], { "+": [{ "val": null }, 1] }] },
+        "data": null,
+        "result": [2,3,4]
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Using val in a map (and remember [null] and null are the same)",
+        "rule": { "map": [[1,2,3], { "+": [{ "val": [null] }, 1] }] },
+        "data": null,
+        "result": [2,3,4]
+    },
+    "Testing out scopes",
+    {
+        "description": "Climb up to get adder",
+        "rule": { "map": [[1,2,3], { "+": [{ "val": null }, { "val": [[-2], "adder"] }] }] },
+        "data": { "adder": 10 },
+        "result": [11,12,13]
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Climb up to get index",
+        "rule": { "map": [[1,2,3], { "+": [{ "val": null }, { "val": [[-1], "index"] }] }] },
+        "data": { "adder": 10 },
+        "result": [1,3,5]
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Nested get adder",
+        "rule": {
+            "map": [["Test"], { "map": [[1,2,3], { "+": [{"val": null}, {"val": [[-4], "adder"]}] }]} ]
+        },
+        "data": { "adder": 10 },
+        "result": [[11,12,13]]
+    }
+]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/suites/vars.json b/suites/vars.json
index 06ba8be..41b1983 100644
--- a/suites/vars.json
+++ b/suites/vars.json
@@ -2,80 +2,110 @@
     "Test Specification for Handling esoteric path traversal",
     {
         "description": "Fetches a value from an empty key",
-        "rule": { "var": "." },
+        "rule": { "var": "/" },
         "data": { "" : 1 },
         "result": 1
     },
     {
         "description": "Fetches a value from a nested empty key",
-        "rule": { "var": ".." },
+        "rule": { "var": "//" },
         "data": { "" : { "": 2 } },
         "result": 2
     },
     {
         "description": "Fetches a value from a doubly nested empty key",
-        "rule": { "var": "..." },
+        "rule": { "var": "///" },
         "data": { "" : { "": { "": 3 } } },
         "result": 3
     },
     {
         "description": "Fetches a value from a key that is purely a dot",
-        "rule": { "var": "\\." },
+        "rule": { "var": "~2" },
         "data": { "." : 20 },
         "result": 20
     },
     {
         "description": "Fetches a value from a key with a dot in it",
-        "rule": { "var": "\\.key" },
+        "rule": { "var": "~2key" },
         "data": { ".key" : 4 },
         "result": 4
     },
     {
         "description":"Fetches a value from a key with a dot in it (2)",
-        "rule": { "var": "hello\\.world" },
+        "rule": { "var": "hello~2world" },
         "data": { "hello.world" : 5 },
         "result": 5
     },
     {
         "description": "Fetches a value from a key inside an empty key with a dot in it",
-        "rule": { "var": ".\\.key" },
+        "rule": { "var": "//~2key" },
         "data": { "": { ".key" : 6 } },
         "result": 6
     },
     {
         "description": "Going a few levels deep",
-        "rule": { "var": "..\\.key." },
+        "rule": { "var": "///~2key/" },
         "data": { "": { "": { ".key": { "": 7 }} }},
         "result": 7
     },
     {
         "description": "Escape / as well, which is useful for the scope proposal",
-        "rule": { "var": "\\/" },
+        "rule": { "var": "~1" },
         "data": { "/" : 8 },
         "result": 8
     },
-    {
-        "description": "Though / doesn't inherently need to be escaped", 
-        "rule": { "var": "/" },
-        "data": { "/" : 9 },
-        "result": 9
-    },
     {
         "description": "Dot then empty key",
-        "rule": { "var": "\\.." },
+        "rule": { "var": "~2." },
         "data": { "." : { "" : 10 } },
         "result": 10
     },
     {
         "description": "Empty key then dot",
-        "rule": { "var": ".\\." },
+        "rule": { "var": "//~2" },
         "data": { "" : { "." : 11 } },
         "result": 11
     },
     {
         "description": "Can use backslack in name, too",
-        "rule": { "var": "\\\\.Hello" },
+        "rule": { "var": "\\.Hello" },
         "data": { "\\" : { "Hello" : 12 } },
         "result": 12
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Can escape tilde",
+        "rule": { "var": "~0" },
+        "data": { "~" : 13 },
+        "result": 13
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Fetches a value from an empty key, equivalence",
+        "rule": { "var": "." },
+        "data": { "" : 1 },
+        "result": 1
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Fetches a value from a nested empty key, equivalence",
+        "rule": { "var": ".." },
+        "data": { "" : { "": 2 } },
+        "result": 2
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Fetches a value from a doubly nested empty key, equivalence",
+        "rule": { "var": "..." },
+        "data": { "" : { "": { "": 3 } } },
+        "result": 3
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "Old format still works",
+        "rule": { "var": "hello.world" },
+        "data": { "hello": { "world": 5 } },
+        "result": 5
+    },
+    {
+        "description": "New format works too",
+        "rule": { "var": "hello/world" },
+        "data": { "hello": { "world": 5 } },
+        "result": 5
     }
 ]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/utilities/splitPath.js b/utilities/splitPath.js
index c171c7b..1c21eed 100644
--- a/utilities/splitPath.js
+++ b/utilities/splitPath.js
@@ -20,38 +20,33 @@ export function splitPathMemoized (str) {
   return parts
 }
 
+const chars = ['~', '/', '.']
+
 /**
  * Splits a path string into an array of parts.
  *
- * @example splitPath('a.b.c') // ['a', 'b', 'c']
- * @example splitPath('a\\.b.c') // ['a.b', 'c']
- * @example splitPath('a\\\\.b.c') // ['a\\', 'b', 'c']
- * @example splitPath('a\\\\\\.b.c') // ['a\\.b', 'c']
- * @example splitPath('hello') // ['hello']
- * @example splitPath('hello\\') // ['hello\\']
- * @example splitPath('hello\\\\') // ['hello\\']
  *
  * @param {string} str
  * @param {string} separator
  * @returns {string[]}
  */
-export function splitPath (str, separator = '.', escape = '\\', up = '/') {
+export function splitPath (str) {
   const parts = []
   let current = ''
 
   for (let i = 0; i < str.length; i++) {
     const char = str[i]
-    if (char === escape) {
-      if (str[i + 1] === separator || str[i + 1] === up) {
-        current += str[i + 1]
+    if (char === '~') {
+      if (str[i + 1] === '0' || str[i + 1] === '1' || str[i + 1] === '2') {
+        current += chars[+str[i + 1]]
         i++
-      } else if (str[i + 1] === escape) {
-        current += escape
+      } else if (str[i + 1] === '~') {
+        current += '~'
         i++
         // The following else might be something tweaked in a spec.
-      } else current += escape
-    } else if (char === separator) {
-      parts.push(current)
+      } else throw new Error('Invalid escape sequence')
+    } else if (char === '.' || char === '/') {
+      if (i) parts.push(current)
       current = ''
     } else current += char
   }